The Weekly Driver (New Car Reviews, 2003-2009
The biggest automotive news of 2008 remains the ongoing crisis among the “Big Three” manufacturers — General Motors, Chrysler and Ford. But beyond all the serious stuff, there was a lot of fun and intrigue for automotive enthusiasts in 2008. This year marked the sixth full year of The Weekly Driver reviews.
It’s easy to dismiss entry level sub-compacts. They’re unlikely any buyers’ dream cars. And, really, what can a consumer expect for about half of the $30,000 average price of new car in the United States? The answer, as Honda (Fit), Nissan (Versa), Smart (ForTwo) and Scion (XD) have all proven, is a lot. There’s much to offer in the sub-compact segment. And Suzuki should be included in fraternity of the surprisingly strong entry level sub-compacts with the 2009 SX4.
Far too few new American cars average more than 30 mpg. But the 2008 Nissan Altima hybrid is in the small fraternity and that means it warrants extended consideration. A midsize sedan with strong competition among hybrid and non-hybrid family vehicles, the Altima hybrid offers surprising versatility and holds its own in many areas against non-hybrid leaders Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.
Toyota is hoping the 2009 Venza, is “the right vehicle at the right time.” That’s the message from the manufacturer as it unveils its new offering positioned between two of its long-time mainstays, Highlander and Camry. The Venza, named via the combination of the words Monza (the famous raceway in Italy) and Adventure, is also being promoted as “70 percent car and 30 percent” sport utility vehicle.
Since its debut in 2004, the Kia Amanti has been one of the most unheralded cars on the road. And it’s difficult to understand why more premium midsize sedan buyers haven’t considered the Korean manufacturer’s top-of-the-line offering. I hadn’t driven the Amanti since its debut model. It’s been redesigned once, but for 2008 the Kia remains largely unchanged from a year ago. It still features exterior characteristics reminiscent of Audi, Lincoln and Mercedes, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Like
its popular brethren, the CR-V, Odyssey and Element, the Pilot
completes Honda's best-buy SUV and van line. And like any of those
offerings or anything else in Honda's arsenal, it's hard to find
serious fault with the Pilot. I
last reviewed a Pilot in 2005, less than two years after it debuted as
the replacement for the Passport. My weekly test drive this time around
was the top of the line EX L 5-door Touring model. Redesigned after a
six-year tenure of the previous offering, the 2009 Pilot is one inch
wider and three inches longer in overall length and wheelbase.
Six years after it was introduced, the Acura TSX remains an unheralded sedan that teeters the fine line between premium compact car and premium sports/performance vehicle. I drove the 2004 model and thought highly of it as a near-luxury car with superior handling. I recently drove the 2009 model for a week and felt the same way. It’s a sedan designated by the odd term “four-door coupe.”
Two
things seemed odd about driving the 2009 Suzuki Equator. It’s
the first time I’ve reviewed a new vehicle not yet available
to the public. More relevant, with all the outdoors-type products
Suzuki manufactures — motorcycles, dirt bikes, all-terrain
vehicles and marine equipment — it’s never made a
pick-up. It
has one now, the 2009 Equator, scheduled for dealer delivery in
December.
Now
in its third year in the United States and ninth worldwide, the Honda
Fit keeps getting better. For 2009, the Fit has undergone its first
interior and exterior redesign. It’s all good.
There’s a new four-way backseat configuration, 10 cupholders
(really?), vision-improving triangular front side windows,
increases in length and width and a nifty van-like windshield position.
One
of the tangible but often unwritten tests of a new vehicle is its
initial comfort. In short, does a car suit a driver without a lengthy
technological learning curve? Maybe that makes me a
simpleton, but there’s something to be said for an efficient,
straightforward, no-nonsense car that doesn’t require intense
reading to operate. And that’s an appropriate description of
the 2008 Kia Rondo.
